Change on tap whether NCAA goes along or not

California aims to allow student athletes to seek pay

California is on the verge of striking a mortal blow to the system that's been sponging free labor off its "student-athletes" for decades. The state is en route to approving a law that gives players a chance to make some money for playing games that entertain the masses and seem to make everyone rich except the players themselves.

It's been a long time coming, and the only real question is to what extent NCAA leaders will go to fight this.

By the looks of things, they're ready to rumble.

In the wake of the state Assembly passing the Fair Pay to Play Act, NCAA leaders sent a letter to Gov. Gavin Newsom on Wednesday, urging him not to sign the bill.

"It would erase the critical distinction between college and professional athletics and, because it gives those schools an unfair recruiting advantage, would result in them eventually being unable to compete in NCAA competitions," the letter said.

The second part of this argument makes sense. If a player who attends college in California can get a sponsorship deal while those in other states can't, it builds in an advantage that not even the shadiest college recruiter and his shoe-company buddies can match.

But the first part — the part about the "critical distinction between college and professional athletics" — is disingenuous to the core, a notion as antiquated as the peach basket and leather helmet, and the reason this whole thing is bound to change.

The notion that these near-full-time athletes in these billion-dollar sports are amateurs, or that they shouldn't get paid, runs counter to the tenets of basic fairness and feels downright un-American. Hard to believe the Olympics — hardly run by the most forward-thinking or athlete-centric organizations — were decades ahead of the NCAA when it came to unwinding the charade of amateurism in its sports.

"It's a fundamental truth of life that our innate ability is what creates our livelihood," said Jeremy Bloom, the former skier/football player who, years ago, got caught in the NCAA crosshairs for having the temerity to want to play both sports and to have sponsors in one (skiing) so he could fund his Olympic dreams. "These are the abilities of these people, and there's no reason they shouldn't have the ability to monetize that, irrespective of whether their education is getting paid for or not."

In most cases, it is being paid for. But that, along with the couple of grand extra that the biggest schools agreed to give to augment some of these scholarships while also relieving pressure for bigger reform, has always felt like the very least they could do.

The California bill is reasonable in that it doesn't ask colleges to pay any more to the athletes, but rather, gives players a chance to hire an agent, put themselves out on the market and see what they can make.

Only a very few would have a legitimate chance to get rich from this. Many more might make a little something — enough to buy a car, fill up the gas tank, go to dinner, etc. The vast majority of soccer and volleyball and field hockey players wouldn't notice any difference. Most fans wouldn't either.

The NCAA, in its letter, says it has the students' best interests in mind and that "NCAA member schools already are working on changing rules for all student-athletes to appropriately use their name, image and likeness in accordance with our values."

Lawmakers, however, moved faster than the NCAA, whose swift, terse reaction gave them a clear picture about the agendas of the people whose cages they're rattling.

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1of3Sen. Nancy Skinner, D-Berkeley, celebrates with Sen. Steven Glazer, D-Orinda, after her measure to let athletes at California colleges hire agents and sign endorsement deals was approved by the Senate in Sacramento, Calif., Wednesday, Sept. 11, 2019. The bill now goes to Gov. Gavin Newsom, who has not said whether he will sign it. But the NCAA Board Of Governors is already urging him not to, sending him a letter Wednesday saying the bill "would erase the critical distinction between college and professional athletics" and would have drastic consequences for California's colleges and universities. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli)Rich Pedroncelli2of3FILE - In this Aug. 17, 2018, file photo, Cleveland Browns defensive end Chris Smith (50) walks off the field after an NFL football preseason game against the Buffalo Bills, in Cleveland. Browns coach Freddie Kitchens said his team is ahurtinga for defensive end Chris Smith after his girlfriend was killed in an accident. Petara Cordero, who recently had a daughter with Smith, was struck by a car as she stood on the roadside Wednesday, Sept. 11, 2019. Smithas car had blown a tire and the 26-year-old Cordero exited the vehicle when she was stuck by an oncoming car driven by a woman who admitted to police she had been drinking. (AP Photo/David Richard, File)David Richard3of3FILE - In this March 14, 2019, file photo, Buffalo Sabres defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen (55) looks to pass during the second period of an NHL hockey game against the Pittsburgh Penguins, in Buffalo N.Y. Ristolainen says he's happy to report for the start of training camp despite offseason suggestions he'd prefer a change of scenery. What Ristolainen declined to say Thursday, Sept. 12, 2019, was whether he'd still be happy being in Buffalo in March following the NHL's trading deadline.(AP Photo/Jeffrey T. Barnes, File)Jeffrey T. Barnes